No matter the reason, we’re here today with another brain quiz, courtesy of the certified Japanese genius and question-maker Shinpei Takahashi. Ready to be puzzled? Here we go:

▼ “What English word goes into the ? spaces?”

We’ll give you a hint right off the bat and say that if you don’t know any Japanese, chances are you’re not going to be able to solve this one. But if you have studied some Japanese, then give it another look. If you want a hint, scroll down.

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Hint #1: Think about the kanji of the English words. (Scroll down for another hint)

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Hint #2: Think about the strokes for the kanji. (Scroll down for a BIG hint)

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▼ How about this version of the puzzle, with the words replaced by kanji?
Can you solve it now? (Scroll down for answer)

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▼ The correct answer is: king! The kanji for each English word has
one stroke added to it each time. How could we have been so blind?!

Did you get it right? If so, congratulations, you are an official RocketNews24 Puzzler Extraordinaire! You may claim your prize of one gold star below:

▼ Show it off to your friends! Family! That person you have a crush on
so they’ll finally be impressed enough to ask you out!